Sequoia Capital invests in AirStrip Technologies

AirStrip Technologies, which just received FDA clearance for a remote patient monitoring service last month, announced an investment from Sequoia Capital this week. Financial details were undisclosed.

“AirStrip Technologies has established itself as an innovator in remote patient monitoring via mobile devices. Mobility is a key component of healthcare reform, and AirStrip is positioned at the forefront of this medical technology and mobility revolution,” Scott Carter of Sequoia Capital stated in a company release. “The talented team of professionals at AirStrip is dedicated to improving patient safety in virtually every acute care setting through the use of their technology.”

The AirStrip deal was not Sequoia’s first foray into wireless health: In July 2009 Sequoia announced that it had made an investment in another wireless-enabled monitoring company, eCardio. Financial details for that investment also remained undisclosed. Sequoia has previously invested in Apple, Cisco, PayPal, Google, Oracle, Yahoo, YouTube and other well-known tech companies.

According to SEC documents, AirStrip reportedly raised $5 million in 2008.

While AirStrip’s initial product, AirStripOB focused on remote monitoring of maternal and fetal vital signs, the recently cleared AirStrip RPM suite of applications allows AirStrip to extend its virtual real time monitoring technology for mobile devices to virtually every acute patient clinical environment, including the intensive care unit, the emergency department, the operating room, the neonatal ICU and other similar settings, according to the company.

AirStrip enables medical professionals to use their smartphones to gain access to vital signs, critical waveform data and other clinical information, which is sent directly from the hospital and can be viewed from virtually anywhere a cell phone or other wireless connection is available, according to the company.